Economic Activity, Life, and Knowledge in the Anthropocene

This lesson is based on an interdisciplinary perspective that draws on anthropology, philosophy, and history. The purpose of the lesson is to examine the interconnections between the following three concepts: economic activity, economic life, and the knowledge economy. More specifically, I would like to show how material economic activity intersects with social economic life, and how both depend on knowledge economies to deal with environmental contingencies. This discussion is framed in relation to the potential anthropogenic ecological disaster often subsumed under the concept of the Anthropocene. After offering some theoretical considerations, the lesson concludes by discussing why Venice is an invaluable epistemic resource for understanding these concepts in practical terms.